The Madras high court on Thursday ordered maintenance of status quo in respect of protection of property of the Madurai Aadheenam mutt.
A division bench comprising Justices C.S. Karnan and K. Ravichandrababu posted to June 4, further hearing of the PIL from M. Gouthaman of Chennai, who sought to forbear Swami Nityananda from acting as the 293rd Guru Maha Saneedhanam of Madurai Adheenam.
According to petitioner, this Adheenam has been a guiding light for spreading of saivite philosophy for several centuries together.
The Adheenam was headed by a Guru Maha Saneedhanam. There has been a structured process in the selection.
Generally as per the custom and tradition of Adheenam, one of thambirans or junior monk would be anointed as ilaya sannidhanam to succeed Guru Maha Sannidhanam.
Now, this entire customary procedure has been dispensed with and Swami Nityananda has been appointed as 293rd Guru Maha Sannidhanam, he added.
He alleged that Nityananda was absolutely incompetent to hold the post which was held in reverence all over the world by the saivites.
Several criminal cases were pending against him before courts in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. He was also accused of sexual abuse charge.
The appointment by itself was illegal. The HR & CE Act stated that a person, who was being appointed as a trustee of a mutt must be a Hindu, and must not be suffering from any mental defect or infirmity, must not be convicted of any offence, involvement of moral delinquencies and must not be leading an immoral life or otherwise leading a life, which was likely to bring the office of the head of the mutt into contempt. Nityananda fitted into every prohibition contained in the Act, petitioner alleged.